Author Archives: Michael-Patrick Harrington

Robert E. Lee

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General Robert E. Lee on slavery:
“The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially & physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing, is necessary for their instruction as a race, & I hope will prepare & lead them to better things. How long their subjugation may be necessary is known & ordered by a wise Merciful Providence. Their emancipation will sooner result from the mild & melting influence of Christianity, than the storms & tempests of fiery Controversy. This influence though slow, is sure,” he wrote in 1856.”

History doesn’t jibe with Trump’s characterization of Robert E. Lee as a unifier and premier war strategist
Opponents of honoring the vestiges of slavery fought for years to change the face, or faces, of Monument Avenue, a promenade in the former Confederate capital memorializing military leaders and a politician who led a rebellion against the United States.

Get vaccinated

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To not get vaccinated, to not wear a mask in certain public places, puts my already compromised health at risk…and my mom’s & my sisters’ & nephews’ & nieces’. So…thanks.

Not getting vaccinated against Covid-19 is like driving while intoxicated, health expert says
As the US averages more than 1,000 Covid-19 deaths daily, not getting vaccinated is akin to driving while intoxicated, one health expert said Friday.

Texas abortion law

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I know the new Texas law bans abortions after the 6th week, but Trumpers/pro”lifers” must believe that SOMEWHERE in Texas illegal abortions are being performed, or else they wouldn’t be forming their little web sites and such to try to catch a woman who is, say, 10 weeks pregnant.
Which brings me to my questions. But first I will admit that I cannot tell how far along someone is just by looking at them. Maybe some people can. Now these pro-“lifers” can sue anyone aiding & abetting an illegal abortion. But how would they know the woman is past six weeks? They cannot walk up to the front desk of a women’s care facility and ask. HIPAA protects the privacy of all patients everywhere. It is a federal law, which supersedes state laws.
Unless someone has personal information about the woman in question (and by personal information I mean they live next door to her or know her from work, that sort of thing), how will these pro-“lifers” know?

Ed Asner

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RIP Ed Asner

Ed Asner, Emmy-Winning ‘Lou Grant’ Star, Dies at 91
Seven-time Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, who starred as Lou Grant on both sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and hourlong drama “Lou Grant” before a late-career rejuvenation through his poignant voi…

Rest in peace Charlie Watts

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The Rolling Stones have been part of my life since I was 12. That was when I lost my innocence: when I heard Mick bemoan his lack of satisfaction. And behind Mick’s bluesy bark and the push-pull of Keith & Brian (or Keith & Mick Taylor…or Keith & Ronnie) was the steady hand of Charlie Watts. Watch the concert videos, and it would appear the man is bored and barely playing, but close your eyes and listen to his jazz inflections, his anchored R&B rumble. Listen to how he follows Keith (rather than the other way around). Charlie was the bedrock of the Rolling Stones. It is a poorer world without him. Rest in peace, Charlie, one of the GREATEST drummers EVER.

Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones’ Drummer and Inimitable Backbone, Dead at 80
Rock & roll legend “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier [Tuesday] surrounded by his family,” according to publicist

The Fall

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Oh sh*t…oh Joe…

Biden officials admit miscalculation as Afghanistan’s national forces and government rapidly fall
President Joe Biden and his administration struggled Sunday to project order amid a race by American and other foreign personnel to evacuate Afghanistan as Taliban fighters entered Kabul.